Sumy

The Holy Trinity Church

Sumy (278,400 residents) is the youngest city among regional and oblast centers of the northern Ukraine situated on the banks of Psel River. There is a common opinion that in timesof Kyivan RusLypensk town preceded Sumy; in the course of time the former disappeared. The present city originated in 1652, when Ukrainian migrants from Right-Bank Ukraine settled near the inflow of Sumka Rivulet into River Psel. In 1656-1658 by tsar's order voivode K.Arsenyev erected the fortress at the inflow of Sumka Rivulet into River Psel in the oak forest. There are relics of ditches and ramparts. The Tatar hordes failed to seize the fortress in 1658, 1663, and 1668. The fortress being built, Sumy became the center of Kozak regiment of the same name for over a century. The city was the military assembly point during Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689. The Church of Resurrection (1702) is a unique landmark of the time in Sumy; the later belltower (1906) represents the same style of Ukrainian Baroque. During the Northern War (1700-1721), the city became an important strategic fortress. Early in 1709 there was the Headquarters of Russian army. In the 18th c. Sumy became the major center of Ukraine hosting four annual fairs. After 1780, Sumy was a district town of Slobidsko-Ukrainian and Kharkiv Provinces for 150 years. The central orthodox building of the city the Holy Transfiguration cathedral with the 56-meter bell tower was erected in 1776-1788. The mix of elements of Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism, marble facing, malachite and marble iconostasis and wonderful painting of artist V. Makovsky make this cathedral a unique achievement of religious architecture in Ukraine. Among other buildings for public worship in Sumy of the 19th and 20th c. there is the Classical Church of St. Elijah was founded in 1836; however, city fires of 1839-1840 destroyed the greater part of the city and the church was completed only in 1851. The Holy Trinity Church (1901-1914, architect G.Sholts) is the showiest Classical (maybe due to the baroque elements in decoration) building in Sumy and Ukraine. At the end of XVIII and beginning of the 19th ?. a number of administrative and dwelling houses were built after the projects of architects A. Palitsyn and P. Yaroslavsky. The office building, arcade and two-storey mansions beautified the downtown. The museum of local lore, history and economy is a typical element of this development. Many celebrities are tied with this city. Ukrainian philosopher and enlightener H. Scovoroda visited Sumy in the 60s of the 18th c. It is the birthplace of known Petersburg publisher and bookseller I. Lysenkov (b. 1810), which was one of the first to publish the works of T. Shevchenko. In the outskirts, there is an outhouse museum of Russian writer A. Chekhov, who used to live here in 1888-1889. In 1899 A. Kuprin worked in Sumy; in 1902 V. Korolenko came here as a lawyer to represent his clients in court.